Making the Connections Between
Wellness and Sustainability
How can we change our energy-intensive lifestyles to meet the urgent challenges of environmental sustainability and climate change? And how can making these essential lifestyle changes increase health and happiness?
My recent efforts have been to weave together the goal of personal transformation, as supported by wellness providers, with the parallel goal of social/ecological transformation, as supported by those working to address environmental sustainability and climate change.
As part of the Integrative Medicine at Brown monthly forums, I am co-organizing a dialogue, entitled "Healthy People, Healthy Planet: Making the Connections Between Wellness and Sustainability", in partnership with the Apeiron Institute for Sustainable Living. The event will take place in Sayles Conference Room 1 at Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island on 111 Brewster Street in Pawtucket, RI.
The agenda will be as follows: 6:00 p.m. Refreshments and networking; 6:30 p.m. World Café dialogue and networking. This fun and inspiring evening will forge new connections among Rhode Island’s wellness and sustainability communities, to discover new ideas and solutions that support wellness of people and the health of our planet. The World Café is a highly interactive meeting format which offers the opportunity for lots of small conversations and mingling.
After a brief introduction to sustainability principles and holistic health principles, we will explore two BIG questions relevant to caregivers and sustainability professionals alike: How could we bring the goals of personal health and sustainability together in how we work for positive change? And how would your lifestyle and caregiving/sustainability work change if your own wellness, the wellness of the people you serve, and the wellness of our environment were equally important?
This event will be facilitated by Beth Tener and Pat Daniel of New Directions Collaborative. Please be mindful and cooperative in refraining from perfumes, colognes and other strongly scented products when attending this meeting in order to include those with chemical sensitivities.
Directions to Memorial Hospital from Providence: Take I-95 North to Exit 28. Turn right onto School Street. At third light, turn left onto Beechwood Avenue. At Brewster Street, turn left into Visitor Parking. Parking is free. The hospital is also accessible via RIPTA Bus #79. The event is open to all caregivers and to students and professionals working in the fields of sustainability and climate change.
Email me your thoughts and suggestions on how the wellness and sustainability communities can learn from each other and develop hybrid approaches.
2009 Karlo Berger. Some rights reserved. Website Design by Solid Uncoated.
Thanks to Hannah Burr, Kristin Granli, and Jim Kelly.